How do I intend to put weight on?? Oh, I'm going to get Alex to show me how We're ironing out a routine. But basically I'm going to try and walk a fine line between increasing muscle mass through the w/o and ingesting extra protein and upping my carbs throughout the day but not into the evening. I'm going to really watch my weight and body measurements and make adjustments accordingly. In the end I may have to bulk up and then burn off. My metabolism has really slowed so I shouldn't find it a problem to put on the weight I just don't want it piling onto my midsection. It may be something as easy as upping the reps and lowering the weight to burn more. I understand that there are many ways to adjust one's weight and I'm surrounded by experts here.

Hi SeaSiren, Interesting is a good word I couldn't sleep for the longest time on my left side because my shoulder hurt so much. Rotators are so involved in everything.
I came across a couple of things that are supposed to help. Well, actually I bought a new pillow, high denstiy obus form foam pillow, you know those ones shaped like a hmmmm...... a shallow W? And, I bought a softer, more cushioned mattress. It helped. I was on another site (over 35 BB site) and the same issue came up. A number of them said that they did this exercise where you grasp a long stick (broomstick or something) lightly in your hands. Hold it straight out in front of you and rotate your arms slowly up over your head, behind your head, and down to the middle of your back while holding the stick and then bring them up, over your head and to the front again without letting go of the stick. I've started them but can't even get my arms rotated down over my head yet. I have very little flexibility in my shoulders obviously. They said it worked very well for them.

Alex has also told me to go lighter with more reps for those exercises impacting the shoulders. I felt a little twinge last night while doing bicep curls but I straightened my shoulder by shrugging it almost while I did the curls. It seemed to work.

For the rotator cuff injury, have you ever looked into ART (Active release therapy)? A lot of people who were told they'd never be able to bench/shoulder press again have gotten back to or beyond their original strength levels by undergoing ART treatments, so if you haven't looked into it, it may be worthwhile.

Also, check out a piece of equipment called the Shoulder Horn - it's pretty easy to find online, and apparently is an excellent item for rehabbing rotator injuries. Just a few thoughts on possible recovery tools!

Focus, focus... Called a chiropractor today...THANKS FOR THE INFO VegEss!!!!!! The guy said he does do ART and in fact there have been improvements to the therapy.
Weight in lbs
Lat pull downs: 15X40, 8X100, 8X100, 9X100
Bent over row BB: 10X70, 8X100, 8X120, 8X120
Seated cable rows: 7X100, 8X100, 9X100

Feeling very "contained" and safe but better safe than sorry.

Brother wolf and sister moon your time has come.... and the wind will blow my fears away.......CULT

Saw the chiropractor today Stop working the upper body Chest, back and traps have been overcompensating for the weak %^$#@% up rotator cuff muscles. Scar tissue, muscle atropy......and that was the stuff I understood

If I had gone in when I first injured it I would have been through therapy much much quicker. Now we have to deal with all the overcompensation stresses/issues rather than just the injury site.

dont worry too much about the weak rotator cuff - its really common, as most people tend to train the front of their bodies rather than the back. so chest, arms and shoulders get a hammering, adn backs get the odd token workout - i used to have pretty weak rotator cuffs, but now i do at least as many back workouts as front, they are in pretty good shape. i did find though that when i isolated my rotator cuffs with exercises, it only made matters worse.

Not too bad but I can see and feel now what the chiropractor was talking about with compensating for the shoulder. I can feel that my left pec not able to stretch as far as the right when I bring the weight down to my chest. Can really feel it being stretched whereas the right is completely relaxed and stretched out.